"Anything exciting happening?" she asked me.
There was a touch of humor in her voice like she already knew the answer.
"Yeah, you could say that. Tomorrow is the day," I told her.
"One day, I will figure out how to get us both there at the same time," I promised her.
"I believe you child, and I know you will succeed. How could you not? Look at you. You have gotten yourself so healthy and strong. You are a determined woman I can see that. I almost feel sorry for anyone who stands in your way," she smiled at the last sentence.
"I do feel sorry for anyone who stands in my way," I teased.
Grandmother and I continued to talk, standing there at the kitchen sink for a little while. I had told her of some of the cool stuff I had learned in Morthshadow. I told her about Axel and how we were dating. She generally looked very happy for me. She told me to watch out for him, though, "all boys are the same," she warned.
I had been inside Axel's mind twice now. I knew he wasn't like Grandpa, wherever he was.
Axel would stick by my side no matter what. When Grandmother excused herself to go to bed, I waited until she made it up the steps before I walked to my own room.
Making sure I had my necklace on, I put on the outfit I woke up in this morning. It was my plain Morthshadow dress. I crawled into bed and waited nervously to wake up in Morthshadow.
◆◆◆
I woke up with Axel sitting on the ground beside me. He was studying the floor plan of the castle again. When I stirred, he turned to look at me. A small slow smile appeared on his face and disappeared quickly.
We would be on our way soon, and we knew it. The fear ruined the moment.
I sat up, and Axel rolled up the map and stood up. I picked up my bag, and it was heavier than I remembered it being. When I looked inside, I found a tiny pillow and a light blanket tucked into each bag.
Wisdom was the best.
I asked Axel to hold the bag of herbs while I magically made us some new swords. I thought about making guns, even though they didn't exist in this world.
For me to do that, I needed to fully understand how they worked. I lacked that knowledge sadly, but I knew what I would look into when I got back to Arlington; if I made it back.
I handed Axel his sword of choice. It was long and sharp, but it was light. He told me when making a weapon that it didn't need to be heavy to cause a lot of damage. It needed to have a strong, sharp blade and needed to be easy to maneuver. With that in mind, I designed a long blade with a beautiful handle. The handle was made out of silver and had a lion carved into it.
For Axel, it was a mystical creature carved into his sword. He had never seen it before and probably never would. It was almost like how dragons were viewed in my world.
I made my sword, which wasn't as long, but it was even lighter than Axel's sword. For that reason, I could put more power behind my swings, something that wouldn't be expected from me.
I carved a mountain into mine. I didn't need a "spirit animal" as Axel called it. I just needed a reminder that strength and courage were all I needed.
Mountains resembled strength; they hold themselves together, even under so much pressure. It also stood for courage, because you needed that to climb a mountain; courage to keep fighting and keep going. I knew I needed that, and my sword reflected it.
I designed a sheath for each sword, and we strapped them around our waists. I slid my sword into its holder and put the pouch of magic blocking herbs back in my pocket.
I was wearing a dress that would allow me to fit in with the women who lived here. It was an ugly khaki color, but Axel assured me I fit right in.
Women didn't have pockets in their dresses because the "great King" decided women had nothing of importance to carry. Not only did he hate magic workers, but he hated women too.
He is really going to love me.
It's a good thing I could magically create my own clothing and determine what I did and didn't need.
This was it. These were the first steps in the great journey ahead of us. I felt ready and prepared, but there was always going to be that small piece that screamed at me not to leave the comfort of Morthshadow. I told that piece of me to shut up; this was something I had to do.
Axel and I started walking in the direction towards Morthsoul. We decided it would probably be best to actually take the bridge back to the other side. Hopefully, the knights had given up looking for us, and we would be able to cross the bridge with no problem.
For that to happen, we needed to give them something of value. I pulled my magic blocking herbs out of my pocket, handing it to Axel. We were still in the cover of dark, thanks to the orb I could no longer make while blocking my magic.
I created a beautiful ruby gem, the size of a quarter in my hands. It had many different edges to it. It looked like a beautifully cut diamond dipped in red. That wasn't enough, though. I fastened gold around its edges, very similar to the way my emerald was held to the necklace by golden vines. I put it on a gold chain and created a beautiful case for it. When I was done, I didn't see a way they wouldn't take it as payment.
According to Wisdom, I was the only one he knew who could do things like creating a gem out of thin air. I believe this is because I learned how things like this were formed back in my world. Having knowledge gave me the ability.
Knowledge really is vital, and will probably be my advantage against the King and his magic worker.
I was warned not to tell anyone how smart I was, even after I did become Queen. It would make the target on my back bigger.
I do not want to do that.
I tucked the ruby necklace into its case and stuck it in my pocket.
"It is like looking at a shiny MasterCard," I said aloud.
"MasterCard?" he asked.
Of course, Axel didn't know what that was.
"Never mind, it's a form of paying for items in my world," I told him.
"I see," he replied quietly.
"I'm saying that a ruby, like the one I created, could buy me a lot back in my world. It is like having this big form of payment," I tried to explain.
"That makes sense," he said.
I wasn't sure if he actually understood and just went along with it.
I took my magic blocker back from Axel, and we continued our journey.
Roots were growing out of the soil through the path we were walking. The roots of different trees tangled themselves in each other. I had to pull my knees up high so that I wouldn't tangle my own feet in their mess. It was like doing the high knees exercise that Mads showed me.
The forest started getting lighter as we made our way closer to the reach of the two suns. The light around us looked almost like dusk. I could see some eyes sitting in the trunks of trees, their bodies remained a mystery.
It was a few steps later when I could hear the rushing water of the Red River. A shiver ran up my spine. In my head, I could feel the repressed memory of my last visit to this river. I steeled myself to try to keep from thinking about it. It didn't work, though, and I stopped and listened, caught up in my own thoughts.
I barely noticed when Axel grabbed my hand and slowly pulled me along. He brought me to the river's edge. He let go of my hand and took a couple steps back.
"Violet, you have power over this now, don't let it scare you," he pleaded.
I could consciously feel myself shaking. I didn't know how to stop it. My eyes were fixated on the red blood water, I could taste it in my mouth. I could feel it in my lungs burning, I didn't know how to stop it. I couldn't stop it.
I had heard every word that Axel said to me, but I couldn't bring myself to answer him yet. Axel scooped me up into his arms and started walking alongside the river. I kept my eyes trained on it, but I found my voice.
"It's not that it scares me, I mourn for all of the life I saw end abruptly. All of those men had something or someone to live for, and they never got a chance to return to it. It means something, and I choose to respect that.
It just has easily could have been your blood flowing through that river right now, and I would have never known you. We would have never had this special connection. Imagine all the other knights that could have had a special connection, but didn't because they were killed," I said quietly.
I lied, I was scared of it, but I needed to put on a brave face. But I did feel that way about the others who now flow through the river.
Axel nodded that he understood.
I guess he had thought several times about this river. His blood could have been mixed in with it. How many people does he know that are part of this river of blood?
"Have you ever questioned if you are ready to be a queen?" Axel asked me.
The question caught me off guard. Of course, I had wondered that. Almost every single day since I have been to this world, I have questioned if I was fit to rule this Kingdom. Every day I had to fight to tell myself I was good enough. I had to make sure my doubt couldn't win.
"Many times, Axel. I don't think I'm fit to be a ruler. I am only eighteen. I know almost nothing of this place. I just learned magic and I only know three people in this entire place. In fact, I don't even know how big the Kingdom is. Does everyone speak English like us, or will I have to learn a new language?
All of these things bounce around in my head and I have to fight myself to stop them. It's a struggle to make myself believe that I can do this. I haven't been in this world for more than a month on and off. How am I supposed to lead it to peace? I know for a fact that I am my own worst enemy. I am so critical of my decisions and the things I do. I tear myself down way more than I build myself up.
This Kingdom deserves to have a King or Queen that is sure of themselves. Sure that they will do what is right for the Kingdom," I took a deep breath.
This was almost as scary as bearing all of my emotions to him. I was telling him my fears, which is something I didn't take lightly. He must have known all of this, though; that I have so much self-doubt. I let him into my mind; that should have been one of the first things he felt.
"I won't lie to you. I have asked myself several times if you could really be Queen; if the prophecy didn't make a mistake. Did we make a mistake by thinking you were the second woman of the prophecy?"
I couldn't blame him for questioning me. Although that hurt, hearing that he doubted me.
"It is when you say something so profound like you did only a moment ago, that stops all of the questioning. Only a person worthy of the crown would make a statement as wise as that. 'Respect every life because they have something to live for.' I have no doubt in me now that you will make a great Queen, possibly better than your Great Grandmother. I cannot wait to see you understand and embrace that," he said.
With that, Axel bent his head down and kissed my temple. I smiled a little.
My heart did that thing where it skipped a beat. I wasn't sure if I would ever get used to it. I wished I never would. I love the way that every kiss always felt like the first.
I turned my face toward him.
"Stop walking," I said.
"Why is something wrong?" he started looking around for signs of danger.
"No, silly," I reached out and brought his face to mine.
I took my time kissing him beside the river. Here the light from the other side of the river blended with the darkness of Morthshadow. The dusk and the sound of running water created an almost romantic feel. If I could make myself forget that the running water was actually red from blood.
We had stood there for what felt like an incredibly long, beautiful moment before we ended the kiss. We both pulled away and smiled.
"So tell me, what is it like to date a Princess?" I asked, teasing. I wanted to keep the mood light as he put me down.
"Well, it's a hard job. You have to keep her happy and protect her. Let me tell you, it isn't for the faint of heart," he teased.
I gave him a little playful slap as we both giggled. We turned away from the edge of the river, and we continued to follow its bank at a distance.
It was sometime later when we finally reached the bridge. The trip to Wisdom's cabin seemed much shorter than the journey to the castle so far. I guess that is because we made our own bridge the first time. I was so miserable and cold after that, I didn't spend much concentration on time. I couldn't really tell what time it was now in this world because I hadn't learned the suns or moon's cycle. According to Axel, we had only been walking for a mile from the time we kissed until we reached the bridge. But it was a slow walk with us holding hands.
It was time well spent, in my opinion.
As we approached the bridge, I could see the half-feline half-human creatures Axel talked about when I first appeared in Morthsoul. From a distance, they looked like furry humans with big pointy ears. While none of them were looking our way, I made sure that my emerald necklace was tucked securely under my dress. Axel let go of my hand first and walked ahead of me.
The first one who saw us addressed him.
"Do you wish to cross the Shadow Bridge?" it asked.
It almost sounded like a purr.
How did they even exist? I thought humans and felines couldn't reproduce. The thought instantly grossed me out and made me sick to my stomach.
"Yes, we do." Axel said.
He had to make sure to mention us both. These people, if you could call them that, were tricky and wouldn't hesitate to only let one of us cross.
"Then what have you brought for us to trade?" the cat person said as he looked between the two of us.
Before Axel could try to bargain with something he had that we needed, I pulled out the ruby necklace from my pocket. I reached my hands out so the man, or so I think, could get a better look. I securely kept my hands on the necklace. Something told me these creatures would take it without letting us pass, and I couldn't let that happen. I'm sure they didn't easily let the knights cross when they were chasing us.
"My dear, why such an iron grip?" it purred again.
"I won't let it out of my possession until we have crossed the bridge and are safely on the other side. Until then, you may look and touch, but it is not yours," I said.
I put power into my voice, something Axel had recommended to me earlier.
"Didn't your father ever teach you women should be seen not heard?" it purred again.
This time though, it sounded more aggravated like it didn't expect me to be so outspoken.
"You did ask me a question, and I answered. He taught me to speak when spoken to, and you spoke to me. Don't try to play games with me. They will not work," I said.
I continued to keep the power in my voice. I thought I sounded almost hostile. But I could see on the creatures face that what I was doing was working.
"She is a strong-willed one, it's not too often we see that. You shall have your terms. We will let you cross if we get to keep it once you step foot on the other side."
I reached my other hand out, "deal."
The man very shyly reached his hand out, and it grasped mine. He lightly shook it like he hadn't shaken hands before.
Maybe that was something that didn't exist here?
Axel and I walked across the bridge with the strange man and his friends beside us. As soon as we stepped foot on Morthsoul soil, I handed the man the ruby necklace.
He took it in his hand and said, "It was a pleasure, my dear. Be sure to come back soon, you have very nice valuables," he said.
Did he just wink at me?
With that, he turned on his feet that looked like paws and walked back to the center of the bridge. He tossed the ruby necklace over the side into the water.
Why did he throw something that valuable into a river?
These people were beyond me. I would have to look into that.
I was careful to turn my back on these people, not fully trusting them, but Axel turned his back without hesitation. If he didn't think they would attack or pull a trick, then I would have to trust him. He had probably crossed this bridge many ti
mes.
We now faced a solid day's journey if we made really good time. Axel and I decided to pick up our pace. I couldn't wait to have this done with and over.
We started at a steady jog and kept the pace for a long time. It was during that time that I was able to reflect on just how far I've come. I wouldn't have been able to jog this far last month without passing out. Now I was doing it pretty easily. It was beyond amazing. This part of the Kingdom was very rocky. There was what almost looked like a small mountain to the left of us. It cut off our view partially. We had to rely on what we saw in front of us and to our right.
I watched my footing to make sure I wouldn't fall and bash my face in on a loose rock.
"Maybe we should scale the thing?" I asked.
From what I saw ahead, it looked like it would take a long time to get around the divide.
"That might be a smart move. It could save us some time if we did it quickly enough. You ever rock climb before?" he asked.
"No, but there is a first for everything, isn't there?"
I gave a little challenging smile.
"Then up you go," he said.
He pointed his hand toward the small mountain, gesturing for me to start. I put my hand on a piece of rock above my head and then did the same with my other hand. I moved my feet around to find a footing. I started climbing. I tried to go fast, but I had to take enough time to make sure that each hand or foot was secure.
Axel started climbing next to me.
We were halfway up, about fifty feet or so when I heard some noise on top of the slope. I could hear what sounded like rock banging other rock. I looked up to see what was causing the noise, and I could see a few stones tumbling down the slope towards us.
Now rock climbing didn't seem like such a great idea.
"Tuck in your head," Axel called out.
I did just that. I put my head between my body and the rock wall. I heard a few rocks make contact with the rock right above me, and they bounced away from me. I thought I was in the clear when the last rock made contact with one of my hands.
A shooting pain registered in my hand, and I pulled it away from its hold on the rock. One of my feet slipped, and I only had two limbs keeping me on the face of the mountain.
Emerald Dreams (The Dream Traveler Series) Page 19
